Nihav Dhawale

Papers

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About

Nihav Dhawale investigates the biomechanics and stability of legged locomotion, with a particular focus on how animals and robots maintain balance while running on uneven, rough terrains. His research models running dynamics within the sagittal plane, treating the body as a two-dimensional system that alternates between aerial and stance phases. A key contribution is his analysis of how ground-induced perturbations propagate through the body during stance, which he models as a passive, impulsive collision. This work provides fundamental insights into the mechanical principles that enable stable running over obstacles and irregular surfaces. His most-cited paper, "Dynamics and stability of running on rough terrains" (2019), has garnered 9 citations, while his earlier work "How to run on rough terrains" (2018) laid the groundwork for these ideas. By combining theoretical modeling with empirical observations, Dhawale’s research bridges robotics and biology, offering design principles for legged robots that must traverse natural environments. His findings are valuable for engineers developing agile, terrain-adaptive robots and for biologists studying the mechanics of animal movement.